Home > Media > Books > E. B. White, Peter F. (AFT) Neumeyer, Edith Goodkind Rosenwald, Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection (Library of Congress) - Charlotte's Web: Student Packet Grades 3-4
E. B. White, Peter F. (AFT) Neumeyer, Edith Goodkind Rosenwald, Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection (Library of Congress) - Charlotte's Web: Student Packet Grades 3-4
jiastar's Full Review: E. B. White, Peter F. (AFT) Neumeyer, Edith Goodki...
As stated in some of my recent reviews, upon doing some attic cleaning I came across a box of books I had owned in my youth. Being a neurotic kind of mom, I had to reread them to determine whether they belonged on my 7.5 year old daughter's bookshelf. In my reading I came across 3 books by E.B. White, including a hardcover copy of the 1952 copyright edition of Charlotte's Web.
This is the story of Wilbur, born the runt of the litter on Mr. Arable's farm on a Spring night, he is saved from a "merciful" death by Fern Arable, an imaginative and loving 8 year old, who thinks it unjust that he be killed simply because he was born small. Moved perhaps by her logical arguments, but being a parent I'd wager it was more by her tears, Mr. Arable decides to spare the wee pig and allow Fern to bottle rear him.
At first life is bliss, Fern adores Wilbur - feeding him and holding him and even giving him rides (along with dolly) in a toy carriage. But pigs grow fast at at 5 weeks of age he is sold to a neighboring farm for $6.00. As luck would have it the neighboring farm is owned by relatives, the Zuckerman's, and Fern's Aunt Edith and Uncle Homer allow her to visit as much as she likes, so long at she sits quietly on a stool. However she cannot go into the pigpen, nor can Wilbur come out. The animals come to trust her quiet gentle nature and Fern visits her beloved pig almost every day.
It is here, on Zuckerman's farm that the real story starts. Along with all the other barn animals, Wilbur meets Charlotte, a grey spider with a large vocabulary. Now initially Wilbur is bother because while she is pretty and smart and friendly, she is also "cruel" in that she eats bugs (or should I say drinks their blood).
As summer's warmth grow, so does their friendship. And right around this time Wilbur learns that, GASP!, humans eat pigs and that he is destined for bacon. Charlotte decides she must save his life and so a plan is hatched.
What plan is Charlotte cooking up?
Will she find a way to save Wilbur from slaughter?
________________________
Other characters:
The majority of the story is between Charlotte and Wilbur, the others, human and animal alike, are merely secondary.
There is of course Fern, but after the initial chapters she falls into the background. Perhaps because Wilbur's affection for her, a mixture of that of a friend, and that of a mother is transitioned to Charlotte. Just as, toward the end of the book we find Fern moving away from childhood things, including the love of a pig, and moving forward to other interests, including boys.
In the barn, there are horses and cows, sheep, geese, and there is also a rat. These animals are present in the story in varying degrees. Of these, it is the later that I feel deserves the most mention here.
Templeton, despite being, well a rat, proves himself to be worthy of friendship. He puts on a good front of not caring, but comes through on a number of occassions to help Wilbur not only in his quest for survival, but out of a couple of sticky situations.
Notes:
Fern is able to hear the animals in their conversations. She relays the events of her time spent at the barn to her family much to the amusement of her father and the concern of her mother. This ability is both attributed to the imagination of youth, and the possibility that "maybe they (the animals) do talk" after all.
I like this! I like that there is an air of mystery left to it. That perhaps due to that magic of childhood she CAN actually hear the animals, just like in another wonderful book Polar Express only those who believe in Santa Claus can hear his sleigh bells.
While I don't want to give away the entire book I do feel pressed, for the benefit of those parents who have not been exposed to this story, to reveal that Charlotte dies in the latter part of the book. I can remember reading this scene and crying my eyes out.
On the plus side, it is not a violent death, Charlotte is a spider and her life span is, by nature short. She simply grows weaker and quietly passes away. As such this may be a good first exposure to a child about death. But it is very sad as we see Wilbur deeply affected by the loss of his dearest friend.
Overall:
While the book no longer makes me cry, I can honestly say that the story is no less enjoyable. It is, most of all, the story of a friendship. It shows how real friends help one another, comfort one another, and very often will make great sacrifices on the other's behalf.
While dealing with some serious topics(meat starts off as a live animal, everything/everyone dies, etc) is it not a serious book. Everything is told at the level of the children who will be reading it, in a way so that they can understand. There are also a number of funny moments : a crushed rotten egg, Wilbur's fainting spells, the various descriptions of Wilbur's mealtime slop.
Written in 184 pages, over 22 chapters I would not advise this for those new to chapter books. Charlotte makes use of some advanced vocabulary which although always defined and explained (Wilbur's only a young pig after all) a beginning reader will find themselves stumbling here and there. Additionally, young children have short attention spans and while engaging this is not a fast moving story.
That being said, this IS however a great book to read aloud, or for established readers(3rd to 5th grade) to tackle alone.
Quoting Charlotte:
"We're born, we live a little while, we die."
"Never hurry and never worry."
"You're my best friend, and I think you're sensational."
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